This just in: 5 more COVID-19 deaths have been confirmed while 39 new cases reported for PNG in the last 24 hours. The country’s COVID-19 death now stands at 21 while the total confirmed cases 1,692. The new confirmed cases include 28 in NCD, 5 in Central, 3 in Morobe, 2 in ESP and 1 in Enga. Continue to practice COVID-19 safety protocols and keep listening to the news on this station and follow our news website: pnghausbung.com for more on this story.  

Morobe Province has seen over 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last few days, an indication that community transmission is increasing. Over the course of 2020, PNG Biomass has pro-actively reached out to communities to provide relevant information and support about the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a thousand notices and COVID-19 awareness materials were distributed to communities with the help of community liaison officers. To be prepared for sharp local increases in community transmission, PNG Biomass ordered 9,000 re-useable facemasks last year. By early 2021, some 5,500 facemasks were received and prepared for distribution. With the current surge in local cases, a first batch of 2,500 facemasks has been distributed to local health centres and aid posts serving the communities in the footprint of PNG Biomass’ operation. The Wampar Health Centre received 2,000 masks, with Tararan and Chivasing Aid Posts respectively getting 500 each. At the time of the donation, both aid posts were closed. Most locals are attended to by the volunteer health workers within those two areas, who took receipt of the facemasks and will look after community distribution. The next planned distribution will be in the Umi/Atzera LLG where some 1,500 facemasks will go to each Mutzing Rural Hospital and Tsuia Sub Health Centre in respectively Mutzing and Kaiapit. PNG Biomass advises community to stay at home and minimise movements to only essential trips. Practice social distancing and utilise face masks during essential face-to-face engagements to avoid potentialexposure to COVID-19.

On Monday, people around the World celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) – a day which dates back to the early 1900s when women began campaigning for equal rights in work and life. IWD is now celebrated by countries to acknowledge the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity and to fundraise for female-focused charities.This year the campaign theme is ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world’. Alongside this, a social media campaign was held to encourage women to #ChooseToChallenge and to call out gender bias and inequality. The Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Club of Port Moresby this morning from 6am-10am hosted a Breakfast to commemorate IWD at Stanley Hotel attended by women folks including males from different stakeholders (public, private & development partners) to discuss and highlight the ongoing mission of seeking equality for women, recognizing women and their achievements.   The theme “Choose to Challenge” was perfectly preferred essentially because change can occur when women make the decision to stand up and challenge the status quo. Individually, we’re all responsible for actions but by working together, we can help make the shift to a more inclusive world. Neither women nor men can flourish without one another and there is no sustainable path to development, poverty reduction and eradication of hunger without gender equality. They discussed about gender equality which is not a ‘women’s issue’ but affects both women and men, as it is rooted in the relationship between the two. Both women and men have to change their ways of working, attitudes and social norms, to ensure both are equal, empowered and dignified. IWD is observed every year on March 8. It is a day that encourages the society to promote women power and make an equal space for all. With time, women have managed to come a long way and broke all the barriers and Women's Day is all about celebrating the strength of women and their achievements. There are many success stories that were shared this morning at Stanley Hotel, in our society that emphasized women's capability and contribution towards the nation. A lot of change in gender equality has changed our society and the day is not far when the gap between men and women in the World of business will be bridged. There were success stories about several BPW in terms of women entrepreneurs and in education which they have successfully adapted to the new environment by acquiring new skills, redesigning their processes, and accelerating the adoption of technology to tide over the challenges. It is believed that more the women enter into businesses, the more value influence is created in the community. In this scenario, it is essential to encourage women more often to enter the male-dominated sectors like businesses. This will not only change the mindset of the financial lenders and investors but also add to the economic value of the country. To make an economy a captivating place to do business, gender diversity is of utmost importance. Prominent human rights activist and keynote speaker Ruth J. Kissam and panelist Vani Nades respectively talks about Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV) and told of her life story on how she was raised up in Laiagam- Enga province by her Late dad Ps. Kissam amongst male dominated siblings, her achievements and careers. “We need a strong rule of law, we need swift and decisive action from the government. We need men, women and youths to be the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves,” Ms. Kissam eloquently stressed. She said we need to choose to be better in the hope of creating a fair and just society not only for ourselves but for our children and their children. If we want a better world for our children tomorrow, we choose to change ourselves today. There is a Native American saying, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” So since it’s borrowed, we have to leave it in a better condition then we found it. Kissam, who was a champion and human rights defender, buried the condemn body of Kepari Leniata after being tortured and burnt in 2013 in Mt. Hagen. She late adopted Kepari’s daughter. Ms. Nades, a leader already making a significant contribution in the business community and PNG as a nation stressed about entrepreneurship, thus creating lot of job opportunities in the areas of information communication technology (ICT) and education giving priority to rural villages and communities. Jacqueline Boga Garoau, Principal Legal Advisor of the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council (PM & NEC) highlighted few of the disability issues and concerns basically Special Needs where attention must be given to them in terms of leadership training, infiltrating the fields of reproductive health, and empowering other disabled women, girls or even males by promoting independent living, advocacy, disability rights, legislation and more. The Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) was part of the celebration. DIRD Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy Advisor Daniel Asher said the department supported BPW in its endeavours to promote, valuing women and girls in the rural areas through the Service Improvement Program (SIP) of provincial and district services improvement program (PSIP & DSIP), a government’s home-policy intervention program. Mr. Asher said under the SIP program through health, education, law and justice and economic sectors women, girls and people with special needs are being taken care of.

Mt. Hagen General Hospital Management will be strict on patients and has advised the general public to wear masks at all times when entering the hospital premises. This follows reports of increasing number of cases in and around the country in the recent days and weeks. Western Highlands Province total positive cases reported so far stands at 18, and climbing and people are being urged to follow safety measures. According to a circular, guards are being tasked to ensure those entering are wearing masks at all times. This measure will last indefinitely following a recent meeting by executives of the Provincial Covid-19 Task Force Committee. Meanwhile there is a general scare that is gripping the township of Hagen with the recent spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. It is being observed that the general public in Mt Hagen are avoiding the area near the entrance of the city's General Hospital. According to several town bus drivers and crews of  Warakum-Market route, they are scared to use the bus stop at the Hospital gate. This follows reports of new covid-19 cases and the strict measures being applied at the entry. However, advice from the health officials is for the people to use masks and practice safe distancing at all times. It is understood that Mt Hagen city is normally crowded every week day, with majority of the people unmasked and going on with their daily activities and physical contact.

THE management and staff of the National Coordination Office for Bougainville Affairs sadly announce the passing of the Director Dr. Henry Tadap Okole, Ph.D. Dr. Okole was selected from a fine pool of candidates and appointed as the Director for NCOBA by the National Executive Council and gazetted on November 25th, 2020. He held that position until his untimely passing on Friday March, 5th, 2021, after a short illness. Dr. Okole from Ravat, Raluana LLG, in Kokopo, previously held an advisory role with NCOBA under the Abt PNG Management Services. He was a former academic at the University of PNG, a former international staff-member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States in Belgium, and at one point, a senior research fellow with the PNG National Research Institute.  He has also been a consultant engaged both in PNG and the Pacific.  At the time of his passing he was also an Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia. During his short but prolific term with NCOBA, Dr Okole had accomplished a successful Joint Supervisory Body meeting in Arawa in February this year, completed a 33-page Background paper for members of Parliament and the PNG Consultation team titled “Papua New Guinea and Bougainville: Origins of the Crisis and Implementing the Bougainville Peace Agreement”, he facilitated and coordinated talks between the National Government, Autonomous Bougainville Government, and various stakeholders, and he was in steady progress of jointly delivering the very first post referendum consultative meeting between PNG and Bougainville.   He is survived by wife Velin, three daughters Dianne, Ruby, and Abigail, and four grandchildren who stood by him through his commitment to the 43 staff of NCOBA taking on the Bougainville issue.

Papua New Guinea reported 87 new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours, increasing the country’s total cases to 1,670. The latest cases were reported in four provinces: West Sepik with 12; Morobe with 20; Eastern Highlands with nine; and 46 in the National Capital District. For the NCD 21 of the latest cases are males whilst 25 are females, all between the ages of seven to 68 years. Twenty-nine cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst 17 were asymptomatic at the time of testing. West Sepik reported 12 new cases of which one is a male and 11 females. Eleven cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst one was asymptomatic at the time of testing. Nine out of the 12 cases came into contact with previous known cases. Morobe reported 20 new cases of which eight are males and 12 females between the ages of 20 to 57 years. Seventeen out of the 20 cases have come into contact with previous known cases. Nine cases were reported in the Eastern Highlands of which five are males and four females between the ages of 29 to 65 years. Seven cases were showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. The country’s COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 1,670 with 16 known deaths. Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces                        Confirmed Cases NCD                                 704 Western Province            325 West New Britain             196 West Sepik                      174 Morobe                             48 AROB                               39 East New Britain               38 Madang                            35 Eastern Highlands           24 New Ireland                      23 Western Highlands          18 Central                             15 East Sepik                        13 SHP                                    3 Enga                                  3 Milne Bay                           2 Hela                                    1 TOTAL                        1,670 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 115,653,459 including 353,528 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The global death toll is 2,564,823 of which 7,192 were reported in the last 24 hours.

This just in: Papua New Guinea reported 87 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours increasing the country’s total cases to 1,670. The latest cases were reported in four provinces: West Sepik with 12; Morobe with 20; Eastern Highlands with nine; and 46 in the National Capital District. The country’s COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 1,670 with 16 known deaths. Continue to practice COVID-19 safety protocols and keep listening to the news on this station and follow our new website: pnghausbung.com for more on this story.   

The Somare family has announced that they have gone into home isolation since Friday at Sir Michael and Lady Veronica’s family home at 4mile, Port Moresby due to a carer testing positive for COVID19. "While we have been following COVID protocols such as washing hands, sanitizing and trying as much as we can to social distance ourselves we thought it more prudent to be cautious in light of the increasing number of COVID cases in the City and had arranged for COVID tests to be carried out last week on all family members and relatives that have come in to assist and grieve the passing of our father, Sir Michael," according to a statement from the family. The statement said "fortunately all family members have tested negative to the virus but we have been exposed to people that have tested positive. For this reason we are now observing stricter isolation protocols." In line with COVID measures, family members and relatives are no longer entering or leaving 4mile house. The family also asked that those that have visited 4mile in the last few days also go to locations such as the Rita Flynn Courts where you can be tested for COVID-19. "We sincerely apologize for not be able to attend any ceremonies and we will not be able to receive any more visitors until our quarantine period is over." "We thank everyone for your understanding and cooperation at this time when numbers are spiking in the City. We also thank Oil Search, National Health Department and World Health Organisation for testing and support services." The family urged all Papua New Guineans to stay safe and observe all prescribed safety measures and precautions. COVID-19 is real and even though you might contract mild symptoms the elderly and immune suppressed may not fare so well. Please consider the vulnerable. "We also take this opportunity to thank everyone both in country and abroad for the outpouring of love and sadness at the passing of our dear father Sir Michael Somare since Friday 26 February 2021." "We are humbled and comforted by the many messages of condolence, prayers, flowers and general acts of kindness towards Lady Veronica and the family." Picture by: Tasminnie ISIMELI

Papua New Guinea reported 91 new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for the last 48 hours, increasing the country’s total cases to 1,583. Papua New Guinea reported 37 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday March 5. Those cases are reported in Morobe province, Central, Eastern Highlands and in the National Capital District. Three cases were reported in Morobe province in which two are males and a female with ages ranging from 12 to 77 years old. All three cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. Two of the three cases have come into contact with previous known cases. Eastern Highlands reported two new cases. Both cases, 43 and 49-year-old men, were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. A 47-year-old male from the Kairuku Hiri district in the Central Province is the latest to be reported positive. He was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. NCD reported 31 new cases of which 15 are males, 15 females and one unknown. The youngest of them is four years old whilst the oldest is 67. Twenty cases were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 whilst 11 cases were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Nine of the 31 reported cases have come into contact with previous known cases. Meanwhile, an additional 54 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday March 6. The latest cases were reported in five provinces: West Sepik with 15 new cases, Madang with eight, Morobe with three, National Capital District with 27, whilst Western Highlands reported a single case. A total of 27 cases of which 13 are males and 14 females between the ages of 28 to 64 years have been tested positive in the NCD. Eighteen cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst nine were asymptomatic at the time of testing. West Sepik reported 15 new cases of which 10 are males and five females between the ages of 33 to 66 years old. Eight cases showed symptoms of COVID-19 whilst seven were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Four out of the 15 cases came into contact with previous known cases. Madang reported eight new cases of which seven are males and a female between the ages of 30 to 49 years. Seven out of the eight cases have come into contact with previous known cases. Three cases were reported in Morobe of which two are males and a female between the ages of 23 to 67 years. All three cases were showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. Western Highlands reported a single case. A 25-year-old from Mt Hagen town was showing symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing. She is reported to have come into contact with a known COVID-19 case. Meanwhile, the surge in the number of cases has prompted the Controller of the PNG COVID-19 National Pandemic Response, David Manning, to call on the citizens to faithfully adhere to measures in the new normal. Controller Manning reminded citizens of the need for them to: 1. Clean hands often. Wash with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer; 2. Keep a physical distance of at least 1.5 meters from others; 3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; 4. Greet others with a smile, a nod or a simple hello - no handshakes or or fist bumps; 5. Cough and sneeze into bent elbow and not hands; 6. Limit social gatherings and time spent in crowded places; 7. Wear a face mask or face covering in all public places; and 8. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. “Remember, there is no cure against COVID-19. Our best defence is to protect ourselves and our loved ones by strictly following all the COVID-19 health protocols. By now people should know that COVID-19 is real. It is no joke or a laughing matter. “I am alarmed at the unusually high number of deaths around the country. Whilst we have not yet confirmed the cause of death in many of these cases, the possibility that COVID-19 could be responsible in some of them cannot be ruled out. “So please protect yourselves from COVID-19. By taking measures to protect yourselves you are also protecting others around you as well,” Mr Manning said. The country’s COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 1,583 with 16 known deaths. Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces              Confirmed Cases NCD                       658 Western Province   325 West New Britain   196 West Sepik             162 Madang                  43 AROB                     39 East New Britain     38 Morobe                   28 New Ireland            23 Western Highlands 19 Central                    15 Eastern Highlands   15 East Sepik               13 SHP                         3 Enga                        3 Milne Bay                 2 Hela                         1 TOTAL                   1,583 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 115,289,961 including 425,675 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll globally is 2,564,560 of which 9,561 were reported in the last 24 hours.

This just in! A total of 91 new COVID-19 cases have just been reported for the last 48 hours in the country. 37 cases reported on Friday and 54 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. This now brings the total number of COVID-19 cases for PNG to 1583 confirmed cases. Continue to practice COVID-19 safety protocols and keep listening to the news on this station & follow our news website: pnghausbung.com for more on this story.

In a show of solidarity with the people and Government of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu Ismael Kalsakau on Friday officially marked the commencement of the week-long “Haus Krai” to honour the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare, Founding Father of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and one of the Founding Fathers of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. The Haus Krai, as a symbol of grief in the Papua New Guinea culture, is an area in the MSG Secretariat especially demarcated for the public to pay their respects to the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare. The public are encouraged to visit the MSG Secretariat to lay wreaths and sign the Condolence book until Friday, 12 March. Story and pictures sourced: MSG Secretariat

Controller of the National Pandemic Response and Police Commissioner Mr David Manning has urged people to listen and take heed of health measures as COVID-19 cases rapidly increase around the country. The country’s total positive cases have reached 1,429 with 16 deaths, of which three were reported within days apart. Mr Manning said the number of cases reported in last week was from 20 to 49 a day which is too high, while at the same time health workers are saying the cases are more severe than what they had seen last year. Furthermore, he said this week PNG had also reported more than one case of an expatriate in quarantine which puts the country in danger of importing a new variant which should make people take note and adhere to health measures in place. “We did very well at the beginning but we are now at a point where we are reporting many cases – more than 20 in a day from different provinces. We have outbreaks going on in Madang, West Sepik Province and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The high number of cases are also coming from the NCD, Western Province, West New Britain, East New Britain, Western Highlands and Morobe. “While we want to ensure the economy is not affected by not restricting movement of people so they can go about their businesses, everyone has a duty to protect another person as well as themselves by adhering to the health measures in place,’’ Mr Manning said. He said the latest deaths reported on Tuesday are from West Sepik Province which shares the border with Indonesia, one of the countries with a high infection rate. Papua New Guineans living near the border travel to and fro, putting their lives at risk. They could also bring the infection into the country because there are no strict measures in place to protect them. Mr Manning said, “The signs are clear. We are in a difficult situation. COVID-19 is not a new disease anymore. We have evidence of how it is being spread so we need to ensure we are following the health measures in place.’’ Mr Manning said while there are no intentions immediately to restrict the movement of people, they need to listen and ensure they are adhering to the protocols in place while going about doing their businesses. “At the beginning we were saying this disease is only for other countries, but it is here now, spreading among us. The new variants being reported in countries such as the United Kingdom, is now next door. The Philippines, which has a big population traveling to our country has now reported a new variant, too." “The new variants are more transmissible than the original one – about 70 per cent more infectious. There is the danger of us having very high infection rates and not having the manpower and facilities to care for our people,’ Mr Manning said. Mr Manning added that evidence shows that the disease spreads fast in mass gatherings and urged everyone at mass gatherings not to forget to adhere to the New Normal or Niupela Pasin, these include wearing of face masks, physical distancing by 1.5 to 2 metres from the next person; washing of hands (or sanitize your hand if you have a sanitizer); and covering of coughs or coughing into elbow to prevent the spread of an infection. Meanwhile, the two latest deaths reported on Tuesday are of a 70-year-old man who died while in the isolation ward at the Sandaun Provincial Hospital, while the other, a 27-year-old woman, also from Sandaun, was a new mum who had just given birth. Due to having COVID-19, she was being cared for at the isolation ward where she sadly succumbed to the disease. “This is the kind of loss we do not want to continue to see. Families losing loved ones who are still in their prime. Please I appeal to you all to listen and seriously take the health measures in place. They are not just against COVID-19, but also other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis which is a big problem in the country,’’ Mr Manning said.